The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is a non-profit organisation that develops and administers standardised tests for bar admission in the United States. The NCBE was founded in 1931 and is based in Madison, Wisconsin.
The NCBE is responsible for developing and administering the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), and the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). These exams are used by most states as part of their bar admission process.
The MBE is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice exam covering topics such as civil procedure, contracts, evidence, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, and torts. The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam that tests knowledge of legal ethics and professional responsibility.
The UBE is a standardised bar exam that consists of the MBE, the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The MEE is a three-hour essay exam that tests knowledge of areas of law that may include contracts, torts, property, criminal law and procedure, and evidence. The MPT is a three-hour performance test that tests practical lawyering skills.
Many states have adopted the UBE, which allows test takers to transfer their scores between UBE jurisdictions. However, each state sets its own passing score for the UBE, and some states require additional state-specific testing or exams in addition to the UBE.
